Thursday, December 16, 2004

The first time I did the quiz, I was a "goth mama" but since I was also a goth sheep, I thought I should try to be different.

You're a punk rock mommy! DIY is probably your
motto, because you're a punk mama at heart.
Your kids are getting your independent spirit
and guts, and learning to solve problems
themselves. You love it when they show their
independence, even when it's breaking your
heart.

Tuesday, December 14, 2004

The 12th of December was an exciting day for me. I finished two projects. First, socks.

Vine Lace Socks from Socksx3

Unfortunately, I don't get to keep them. They're a gift. But I love the color, and I have another ball so maybe I'll get to make myself a pair too. They took just over one ball of Kroy (though I have several balls of Kroy with several different lengths, so that doesn't mean much).

I also finished this:

Lily of the Valley from Jamieson3

I set in the sleeves more than the designer did and made the V neck deeper to be more in tune with today's "look". Which will of course be nobody's look next year. So I have to wear it as much as I can now. I've worn it twice - once to work and my mother's after work, and once on a sunday. I did take a couple of pictures of me wearing it, but I haven't got them off the camera yet. My mother also took some pictures of me wearing it, but I assume they all came out badly. She makes me feel very ugly.

Monday, November 29, 2004

This is why we block. The lower sleeve is the one I finished a few weeks ago. The upper is the one I finished yesterday. It's a bit wizened.

The body is blocking right now... well, half of it is. I blocked the front on the weekend, and this evening I blocked the front. I three-needle bound off the shoulders, so it's kind of tough to work with right now. But I can't work on it, so I started this:
This is my new swatch. I wanted to see which colors I would like, and I think I'm going with the red and tan (top right corner). I also wanted to see what needles would work. The pattern calls for US3. I like US2 with this yarn. It's going to be Manhattan by Jean Moss.

Monday, November 22, 2004

I once read that you just follow the heel instructions blindly. Now I know better.

The problem was mine. I thought when you start the heel is where the heel starts. Apparently it's in the middle of the foot.

I had chosen the pattern based largely on the fact that I needed a pair of dark blue socks, and I only had one ball of dark blue sock yarn, and the pattern led me to believe that I might be able to make these socks with just the one ball. I think it was a full ball of dark blue yarn, though the label had fallen off. I knew just after the heel of the first sock that I was in trouble. So, I got another set of needles out and started the second sock.

And this is where I ran out of yarn.

I needed a positive knitting experience this weekend, bcause of the whole hurtful sock scarf debacle. So, I grabbed another ball of yarn and kept going.
Tiger Eye socks

If you click the picture, you might be able to see the two-tone nature of them.

This is the pair of socks I needed to finish (in addition to the as yet unfinished Lily of the Valley Pullover) so that Ican buy some frangipani. And then perhaps I will make Eternal, the companion sweater to Immortal, which I started in October. Or maybe I will make the Beth Brown Reinsel Danish Nor-something from the Winter IK. Or I could make both.

Tuesday, November 16, 2004

Apparently having a blog is going to teach me HTML whether I like it or not. I'm trying to figure out how to get several pictures into the same entry, and with the Hello/Picasa freeware, it's not exactly intuitive.

Today's entry, however, is not about pictures. It's about socks.

Project: Tipsy Knitter Socks

Pattern: It's in Socks, Socks, Socks from XRX.

Yarn: Sandnes Sisu. Splits more than Kroy, but I don't mind. It's a nice color.

Tipsy Knitter Socks

See, they fit!

And with the fabulous shoes I bought...

The shoes are Rockport Lorenes. They are very light. And this picture reminds me, I need to clean the dining room table before Ed comes home, so he can continue to think that I keep it neat all the time when he's not around.

Monday, November 15, 2004

I have altered the body of the garment by making the armholes deeper (two inches, rather than one-and-a-quarter) and making the V deeper (I really should post a photo of mine, you can see the difference), which necessitated adding some shape to the sleeve cap.

Lily of the Valley Pullover Sleeve You can't tell from this picture, but it really needs blocking.

I started this sweater back in early May. I did the back in about a month, the front in about four months, and then yesterday I finished the first sleeve. The sleeve took me a week. I think I will allow myself two weeks for the second sleeve, and then a week for the finishing. So, if I also finish the socks I started on Friday, I will be buying that Frangipani I've been lusting after on around December 5.

Wednesday, November 10, 2004

Thursday, October 28, 2004

Well, tech writer or not, apparently I am a computer-illiterate booby, because I forgot where my blog was and how to get into it. But I've figured that out now. Perhaps I should Figure out how to post pictures.

Perhaps when I get my laptop (next week?) this will be easier.

Meanwhile...
Current projects:

Gold "Tipsy Knitter" socks from Socks x3

Self-designed lace and stripes sweater (been underway in some form or another for at least a year, plan to finish it next week)

"Lily of the Valley Pullover" from Jamieson's 3 out of Briggs and Little sock yarn in grey mist, which is decidedly blue-green (I've heard they have some problems with dye lot accuracy there, but I've found the yarn a dream to work with, at a great price -- assuming the garment works out, I'll have spent about $17.93, and I'll probably have a skein left over

I have $363 in my knitting budget for the rest of the year. Currently that's going to be four cones of Frangipani, some Rowan Yorkshire tweed 4-ply and about five books.

Tuesday, September 07, 2004

Well, I have finally brought an end to my blogging virginity, after only about two years of hemming and hawing and saying I really ought to start a blog. I always want to do these things with the utmost of planning, but never make the commitment until I'm drunk or something and just all of a sudden do it.

So, we all owe this blog to the link at the top of QueerJoe.
That should give you a hint as to the main topic of my blog, eh? (Knitting)
That should give you a hint as to where I live. (Canada)

What have I been up to? (Nobody asked, but I'm the only one in here, so I'll ask it myself.)
Saturday I finished "Textured Tee" from Ram Wools, knit in Patons Grace, terra cotta color, which I thought was much more orange than red. I think of terra cotta as being a mid-west red, like the color of mesas or something, but this was more the color of melons or tangerines.

Perhaps what this blog needs is for me to learn how to upload pictures. Perhaps that will be my project for tomorrow.
Stay tuned!